By Sam Kaye
The mysterious fire that caught the State House in Freetown the Sierra Leonean capital saturday afternoon has been put out with the President’s office still intact.
The fire which the ministry of information confirmed to have started on the 4th floor at about 4pm raged till dusk attracting a mammoth crowd of security personnel and fire fighters who fought tooth and nail to put it out.
After nearly 4 hours of a fierce battle by fire fighters including men from the Gulma valley water company, the fire was put out from the third and fourth floor where it had been raging and bellowing out thick black smoke from its windows while apprehensive surrounding residents on tower hill prayed that the 122 year old building should not go down in ruins.
Residents who gathered around the adjoining ancient cotton tree also prayed silently that the fire should not extend its rage to the tree which is also one of the historical ornaments of the country left by the colonials after granting independence in1961.
The Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) have however been quick to exonerate itself from blames due to reckless surges experienced by residents even before investigation considering the fact that such electricity surge have been responsible for the loss of many structures in the recent times in greater Freetown and some parts of the provinces.
The information ministry through an urgently signed release saturday however vowed that investigation on the inferno which almost engulfed the President’s office will be carried out as soon as possible to forestall further tragedies of this nature.
This is the first time such a massive fire in ‘peace time’ would engulf a sensitive national asset like the State House which is housing the office of the President and other political appointees in the city centre.
The President’s personal office however miraculously escaped the rage of the inferno which stood it’s ground for at least four hours before it was extinguished.
President Julius Maada Bio was however off to Turkey attending a conference as at the time of the incident, but the Ministry of Information has confirmed that Emergency teams were diligent enough to ensure that the President’s office remains protected.
The statement however added that the cause of the fire is yet to be determined and as soon as the immediate and remote causes are determined, the men of the fourth estate would be well informed..
As at 7 pm Freetown time on Saturday, the Police still maintained their cordone of the area surrounding the building, with security operatives and soldiers deployed to manage crowd and to additionally ensure safety and stability.
Built in 1895 as Fort Thornton, the State House initially served as the residence of the colonial Governor and later became the official home of the Prime minister in 1961.
Since 1971, it has functioned as the residence and primary workplace of the President and commander in chief of the armed forces of Sierra Leone.